From owner-ius-l@AMERICAN.EDU  Sat Jul  6 01:25:41 1996
Date: Sat, 6 Jul 96 00:57:07 -0700 (PDT)
To: NoWDead@teleport.com
From: rmadams@wimsey.com (Ron Adams)
Subject: Western States Race Report
Cc: moadams@msn.com, drs@caligari.dartmouth.edu, ius-l@AMERICAN.EDU

Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run
Squaw Valley to Auburn California
June 29th 1996

**Somewhat belated.  I wrote this in Auburn right after the race but was
unable to get a good internet connection at that time.**

Executive Version
On my 3rd attempt, I finally successfully met the challenge of the
Western States 100 Mile Endurance run completing the race in 28:54:10

Longer Version
Weather
Cool and rainy in the week before the race which was a help in keeping
down the dust in the high country.  Race day was sunny and temps
reached high 90's to 100 in the canyons, after having had 80's forecast.
Sunday saw 90's by the time the last finisher came in and Auburn saw
a high of 103 during the awards ceremony in the afternoon.

The Challenge
As if it wasn't enough to run 100 miles, this race has the added challenges
of dealing with heat (100 deg), the terrain (quad busting downhills), the
mental challenge that comes with weariness and the other hazards that
shorter races just don't have (severe blister problems, being sick etc)

My Race
The high country was a delight, starting with the climb up to Emigrant Gap
where at the top one has a stunning view of all of Lake Tahoe at sunrise.
The high country is always cool and fresh and pleasant to run on with
fresh legs and the endless vistas of the Granite Chief Wilderness.
Here the scenic landforms (Cougar Rock, Elephant's trunk) can truly
be enjoyed before the rigours of the race set in.
The temps start to heat up somewhere about Duncan Canyon where the
runners pass through old growth forest with some truly massive trees.
At Robinson Flat (30 miles and the first major checkpoint), I was starting
to get a bit of an unsettled stomach, which seemed to get sorted out by
a cool-off poncho doused in ice water, so that the run down Cavanaugh
ridge was better than other years.
Approaching Last Chance (43 mi), I was starting to develop blisters, so I had
these attended to.  This was right at the start of the "Canyons" so I
wound up taking it a little easier on the downhills, particularly since my
IT Band was starting to act up.  Following Last Chance is Swinging Bridge.
This is a truly scenic spot across the crystal clear cool waters of the North
Fork of the Middle Fork of the American River.  On this day, there were
horses crossing as we approached.  The horses were skittish and had to
be led across the bridge... hmm, sometimes running is easier.  This is
followed by the climb up to Devil's Thumb.  This was hot and tough and a
lot of people were on the verge of succumbing at this point.  This was close
to the hottest part of the day.
Following Devil's Thumb is a long gradual traversing descent to Eldorado
Creek.  It is common in Ultras to have good and bad patches.  I had a bit
of a bad patch on the climb up to Devil's Thumb, but started to feel better
as I passed Deadwood Cemetery (ironic, eh?), and had a good patch on
the long downhill, and a pretty reasonable time on the climb up to Michigan
Bluff (my old nemesis).
I spent way too long (30 mins) with the podiatry crew at Michigan Bluff, but
the rest did me good, and my good patch continued through Volcano Canyon
but the climb up out of Volcano started to get to me and once again I had an
unsettled stomach by the time that I arrived in ForestHill (62 miles).
The entire Cal loop was a stretch of good and bad stomach problems, (mostly
just unsettled) and I finally got sick at Sandy Bottom.  After that I felt better
and for the rest of the race that was not a problem (except for the fact that for
the rest of my life, the very thought of lemon-line Gatorade is liable to
turn my stomach)
The River Crossing at 78 miles was fun.  The water was mid thigh deep and
the coldness of the water was refreshing.  I had feared that the cold water
would cause everything to cramp up, but my fears were groundless.  The
far side of the river had my final podiatry stop to attend to the blisters which
were getting worse and a change to dry shoes and socks.  By this time, I
was starting to push the 30 hour schedule, but after Green Gate with the
help of my pacer, I was able to run most of the Auburn trails section all the
way to Hwy 49 (93 miles).
By this time I had run through the day and through the night and into the
next sunrise.  At Hwy 49, you can smell the barn, so the run down to No Hands
Bridge was quick and fast (well, after 95 miles quick and fast is a relative term)
When I reached No Hands Bridge, I walked across the bridge and savoured
the moment, particularly since the recent controversy over the fate of the
Bridge has made it more special.
The climb up to the finish was really hot (temps back in the 90's by then)
and somewhat slower, but at that point the race was in the bag and
it was a time to be enjoyed.
When I arrived at the track at Placer County High School, it was like being
in a dream.  My kids ran in with me & I was moved to tears as I rounded
the track with the realization that finally, on my 3rd attempt with thousands
of miles in training over 3 years, I was finally realizing my dream of actually
finishing Western States.

A big thank-you has to go to my wife and family who have tolerated my running
and devoted their whole day to following me around to the various crew locations
just to spend hours waiting in the hot sun for me to finally show up and spend only
a minute or two with me as I pass through on my way down the trail.  It is for this
reason that the term CREW is considered an acronym for "Cranky Runner,
Endless Waiting"  Thanks also to the encouraging words from other friends,
Ultra runners and Dead runner along the course, not to mention the selfless
efforts of the volunteers at Western States.

Today, I have lots of aches and pains and I'm not walking very fast (due to
the blisters), but I have a new belt buckle (... I guess now I'll have to get a
belt to go with it ;-) )

Cheers
Ron Adams
presently in Auburn California

Ron Adams
North Vancouver B C
rmadams@wimsey.com